News Roundup: Massachusetts Voters Decide Nine Ballot Questions on Election Day, DOJ Deploys 1,000 Monitors Nationwide, and Spain Identifies All 69 Urda Crash Victims

Here is your Tuesday afternoon roundup on Election Day, with one story from Massachusetts, one from across the United States and one from overseas. Polls in Massachusetts close at 8 p.m.; for hours, ID rules and a plain-language look at the nine ballot questions, see our Election Day guide.

Massachusetts: Voters decide nine ballot questions and the Healey–Minogue governor race

Massachusetts voters are at the polls Tuesday deciding a record-tying nine statewide ballot questions — the busiest slate in more than three decades — along with races for governor, U.S. Senate and Congress, the Boston Globe and CBS Boston report. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat seeking a second term, cast her ballot Tuesday morning at Hardy Elementary School in Arlington, Massachusetts, where supporters greeted her, according to CBS Boston and the Globe. Republican challenger Mike Minogue, a former medical-device company CEO who spent millions of his own money on the race, voted during the early-voting period. Independent Andrea James is also on the ballot. Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey faces Republican John Deaton, WHDH reports.

The nine questions cover public records access for the governor’s office and Legislature, collective bargaining for Committee for Public Counsel Services employees, a top-two primary system, Election Day voter registration, a state revenue cap with taxpayer rebates, a natural-resource conservation fund, statewide rules allowing single-family homes on lots of 5,000 square feet or more, a repeal of recreational marijuana sales, and a referendum on the 2024 gun law — a “yes” on Question 9 keeps that law, while “no” would repeal it, CBS Boston’s ballot guide explains. Results for statewide races and questions will roll in after polls close.

United States: Justice Department deploys about 1,000 election monitors in all 50 states

The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday it is sending roughly 1,000 election monitors and observers to jurisdictions in all 50 states — its largest monitoring effort ever and the first time the department says it is covering every state, according to a DOJ press release and Axios.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said election integrity is a top priority and that the department is pursuing transparency “in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.” Monitors include Civil Rights Division staff, other DOJ personnel, U.S. Attorney’s offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management. The department says they will check compliance with federal voting-rights statutes; it also published a public hotline for election-related questions and complaints.

USA TODAY reports that some voting-rights groups and local election officials worry a large federal presence could intimidate voters or affect turnout. The DOJ’s published list includes Boston and Lowell in Massachusetts, along with jurisdictions in battleground states such as Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. In 2024, Axios notes, the department monitored 86 jurisdictions across 27 states. Monitors are not a substitute for local police or election officials if a polling place has a disruption.

Spain: Authorities identify all 69 victims of the Urda high-speed train collision

Spanish authorities said they have identified all 69 people killed in last week’s high-speed train collision near Urda, in the Toledo province of central Spain, Euronews reported, citing a statement from the body coordinating police and forensic identification. Families have been notified; among the dead were 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreign citizens, including four from the United States, according to Euronews and The Straits Times.

The Oct. 28 crash happened when a Renfe high-speed train struck a stationary Iryo train after an automatic safety system failed on a stretch of the Madrid–Seville line and a control centre authorised the Renfe service to continue, Reuters reported in its reconstruction of the accident. Officials have described the authorisation as a serious break with protocol; more than 100 people were injured. It was Spain’s second major high-speed rail disaster this year, after a January crash in Andalusia that killed 46.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said Spain would work “tirelessly” to restore public trust in high-speed rail and announced a €30 million aid package for families of the dead and for those injured, Euronews reported. Investigations into signalling, control-centre decisions and system upgrades continue. Mass Halal will continue to follow verified updates from wire services and Spanish authorities.

Stay connected

That’s the Tuesday afternoon roundup. For community gatherings, talks and family events happening around Massachusetts this week, see the Mass Halal events calendar.